Yin poses are held in-between 2 to up to 20 minutes, depending on what part you are stretching/compressing and depending on how experienced you are. Even tough it is a slow practice with space for stillness, it is still an intense type of practice. For some of us, more than others. We can get used to just about anything if your are put through something enough times, and the same goes for a Yin practice, so if you find yourself struggling with staying still in postures I would entourage you to keep practising, your body might be sending you signals telling you to get out, get up, leave the class and never come back, but probably- you need Yin more than you want it.

In the space of just being and observing, without doing or analysing, the body, breath and mind, we have the chance of broadening and deepening our awareness of ourselves. Both inside on the gross perspective but we also have the chance to observe and get to follow the quality of our breaths, thoughts and the movement of internal substances like blood and Qi. This is a powerful and meditative way to practice Yoga.
Our bodies have an incredible way of adapting to what whatever form is necessary, this is the beautiful way of which life let’s us evolve and thrive, by softening our bodies through a Yin Practice, we allow our bodies to adapt smoothly as we create more space inside with the help of breath and a calm steady mind, with these to factors working together the body wont stiffen up in a posture when it gets difficult, but rather get more relaxed and in that manner ease into the new, deeper expression. This applies too for the when Yin and Yang are in harmony, there is a continuous and peaceful flow of life, and we practice meeting changes, distractions and tensions with softness. The transitions in-between postures are equally as important as the time we spend in the asana as we keep the intention to stay soft even in these moments of going in and out of postures, we are also training our focus as we aim to stay present for the full duration of the class and eventually, the Yin session will become a slow moving meditation.

Through any mindful practice where focus lies on presence and awareness we train ourselves to come into and how to come into that state more and more, by letting ourselves be more aware and present in our lives off the mat, the greater opportunity we have to really explore and listen to our inner instead of letting habitual thinking and our worries get in the way of new exciting things coming our way, by staying present our inner will have us see opportunities instead of problems.

When we stimulate fascia we stimulate our meridians, new science explains how the thousand year old traditions of acupuncture ( stimulation of the meridians, energy channels ) is plausible because of how the channels run through the connective tissue. Simplified, the energy travels through the fascia, the organ made up from mostly water and minerals creating a conductive substance, able to alster energy. As a counter part for Yang, Yin is nurturing, inward, still, wet, feminine and steady and be being in a Yin attitude we can balance out the otherwise very Yang environment we live our lives in- striving, doing and most of the time, moving!

Because of the complex and mesmerising interconnectedness between al the systems in our bodies, from endocrine-, respiratory-, digestive- and nervous system to name few. Saying that the joints and, or fascia is being stressed in an asana is could therefor be misleading. One system cannot work without the other. At the same time we can put our focus on one of these systems and study the complexity of just one of them to start somewhere and from thereon go explore the next coming one. Because of harmonised connectedness, we can put focus anywhere and still stimulate all of the systems that create our amazing bodies.

Apart from stretching and stimulating the fascia, the deep connective tissue within our bodies during a Yin yoga practice, we also come into plenty of asanas (postures) where one or more compressions are taking place as well. A compression would be on the other side of the spectrum from a stretch, instead of lengthening there is a compression taking place where as bone to bone might come to meet, or muscle to muscle, ligament to bone and so on.

When we compress the hip joint for example (or any joints for that matter) we have to practice with great awareness so that we won’t herniate a disk, grind on cartilage or even tare ligaments. A mild, moderate and mindful stress on joints is actually beneficial for the strengthening and longevity of them. We stimulate the synovial fluid that is capsulated around the joints, helping them regain or maintain their full range of motion, and their ability to move with ease and fluidity. Like mentioned previously, things that we don’t tend to will in time stop being attentive to us. What we put out we get back and so on.

This opposite type of stimulation, compression, is beneficial for our bodies health and also for the strength and density of our bones, joints and ligaments. Harvesting a body that is ready for whatever comes at it is not one who is only strong nor only flexible. But rather one who has a beautiful harmony of the both. Strength without flexibility causes rigidity and can have us snap. Flexibility without strength will have us lack resistance and even integrity. It is a complex diagram to picture but it is a holistic one, a body of strong muscles can have tight fascia and weak bones, a body can have healthy limbs, joints and facia but lack strength in core and muscles that help keep the body powerful and upright.

We have to be mindful when practicing compression swell, if there is bone to bone contact we must realise that our posture has reahed its maximum and from there on just compress mildly to keep the join, bone awake. If the compression is made up from tight facia, our body still has the ability to move deeper into the posture. Through a mindful practice Yin Yoga is very therapeutic, so stay with your personal responsibility in class and make sure you do not go too deep into a posture just because someone next to you can reach deeper, or whatever the reason might be for you to push beyond your own edge. As we all look different on the outside, remember our bodies vary on the inside aswell, no hip joint is exact to another ones… Be mindful, humble and kind with yourself.

In Yin Yoga on the contrary to a “regular” Vinyasa, Bikram, Iyengar, fitness styled yoga class, we intend to relax the muscles instead of engaging and contracting them. We do this to get into the deeper layer of the whole body, what holds everything together, the Fascia (connective tissue). Spinal discs are just more densely composed fascia than for example ligaments. If we examine a body without any fascia, we see that the muscle can actually stretch longer without any problems, without any restrictions or tensions. So it is the Facia that makes the muscle rigid an tight, not the muscles themselves. We find Facia all over our bodies, it hold our blood vessels, nerves of the nervous system, it hold all of our organs in place, and like mentions before, our muscles.

Fascia is mostly made up of water, the Hyaluronic Acid in the fascia hold around 6 times its own size in water, HA it compresses water. The water along with minerals etc. allows the connective tissue to be a flowing, conducting organ on its own. The fascia is in intrinsic gel type of substans that is always moving, the force of fascia helps the heart, lungs and vessels transport oxygenated and nutrion rich blood to all the cells, it is vital for our brain function to have a healthy fascia by its support of the nerve bundles, this exciting tissue even helps increase the lymphatic systems work by its nonstop movement all around our bodies.

When we stay still for longer period of times like during sleep, a long day of working sitting in front of a computer or lying in the couch watching TV and often times when we get up and start moving again, we feel more stiff and rigid after l the long period of inactivity. And it is not the muscles themselves tightening up, it is the fascia, so immobility, staying still, not stimulating our bodies and fascia will lead to deterioration, degeneration and drying out of the Fascia.

We now know that Fascia plays and important role for our well being and flexibility, and therefore it is easy to understand the benefit of a regular stimulation of it, by example practicing Yin Yoga. The mild and mindful tensile pressure we create during a Yin practice will help keep the facia flowing, moist and healthy. It is like anything else, if you leave it be and never train or engage with it, you wont get nothing in return. Be carful not to over stretch your tissue, which might happen when you are feeling open after a Yin class, practice with safety and patience so you wont tear or rip something, and always allow for time in-between postures to let the tissue work its way back together, now stronger, more flexible and more adaptable than before the posture.

Fascia is mostly made up of water, the Hyaluronic Acid in the fascia hold around 6 times its own size in water, HA it compresses water. The water along with minerals etc. allows the connective tissue to be a flowing, conducting organ on its own. The fascia is an intrinsic gel type of substans that is always moving, the force of fascia helps the heart, lungs and vessels transport oxygenated and nutrion rich blood to all the cells, it is vital for our brain function to have a healthy fascia by its support of the nerve bundles, this exciting tissue even helps increase the lymphatic systems work by its nonstop movement all around our bodies.

When we stay still for longer period of times like during sleep, a long day of working sitting in front of a computer or lying in the couch watching TV and often times when we get up and start moving again, we feel more stiff and rigid after l the long period of inactivity. And it is not the muscles themselves tightening up, it is the fascia, so immobility, staying still, not stimulating our bodies and fascia will lead to deterioration, degeneration and drying out of the Fascia.

We now know that Fascia plays and important role for our well being and flexibility, and therefore it is easy to understand the benefit of a regular stimulation of it, by example practicing Yin Yoga. The mild and mindful tensile pressure we create during a Yin practice will help keep the facia flowing, moist and healthy. It is like anything else, if you leave it be and never train or engage with it, you wont get nothing in return.

Be carful not to over stretch your tissue, which might happen when you are feeling open after a Yin class, practice with safety and patience so you wont tear or rip something, and always allow for time in-between postures to let the tissue work its way back together, now stronger, more flexible and more adaptable than before the posture.

Alan Watts gives us a clear and inspirational speech on Taoism and paints a beautiful picture of the D(T)aoist way of life. The Dao holds space for free flow of toughts, it allows questioning and is to me completely enchanting.

Alan Watts, philosopher, writer, published over 40 books during the last century on the subject and he was well known for introducing eastern thinking to westerners.